Meltdown
by ElvenStrife
Summary: It is Thomas' birthday and he has invited Jackie around - the girl he likes. He wants to have a fun day and bond with her... It's his birthday - what could possibly go wrong? /The birthday scene written from Jackie's perspective/


**Meltdown**

**Author: Legolas Fanatic**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Black Balloon' and do not have permission to write this story. No profit is being gained and this story is merely for entertainment purposes. **

**Synopsis: It is Thomas' birthday and he has invited Jackie around - the girl he likes. He wants to have fun and hang out with her... It's his birthday - what could possibly go wrong? (The birthday scene written from Jackie's perspective)**

**A/N: Hello, all! I have only published this story as I wrote it for an English assignment at school and did not want it to go to waste - so I saw no harm in publishing it of FanFiction for any and all 'The Black Balloon' fans out there. The criteria for the assessment was to write a short story... so that's all this is. Nothing special. It is written in the first-person, from Jackie's perspective. It covers a bit before the party - which is AU - and then goes along the lines of the movie. All dialogue is taken from the movie (I have no rights to that) and the scene goes exactly the same. If you have not seen the movie, you will be hard-pressed to know what is going on here. **

**Also, I have deemed this needing an 'M' rating as there is a moment of masturbation - as any who have seen the movie will know - yet I do not describe it thoroughly. I have no wish to write smut. There is also slight coarse language, yet not frequent. **

**[For anyone who doesn't know, Charlie Mollison is autistic. I really do recommend you watch the movie before reading this, otherwise you will be unaware of a few facts this story expects you to already know. I do not think autism is 'funny'... it is a serious condition and I respect it. I have no respect for people who tease or bully those with medical conditions - it is low. So, please, if you leave a review... be respectful to the condition and do not make fun of it. I doubt any of you will, yet I am posting this just in case. I know 99% of you are not like that - yet you would be surprised by what sort of people are out there. I have a few friends with autism... I know how hard it can be. Thank you]**

**So, please read and enjoy! :) **

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Meltdown

I stood in front of my mirror, staring at my reflection. The girl who stared back at me was smiling, her full lips stretched across her face in an exultant smile. She was excited. I stared back into her eyes – eyes identical to mine – and saw that she was eager, anticipant to go to Thomas' birthday party.

I haven't known Thomas very long; it is a matter of months really. But we share a connection, a bond too complicated to define with the English language. He is an amazing person and he leads a hard life, one which I do not envy him for. Yet I can respect his life. He is the younger sibling and his older brother receives most of the attention because of his autism – Thomas is probably more than a little jealous. But he handles it well.

When he invited me to his party, I felt the bloom of excitement flutter in my chest and it has not left. I am still almost bouncing on the balls of my feet.

I combed through my hair quickly, the blonde strands splaying across my shoulders in golden arcs. It wasn't exactly long hair, just going down to my shoulders, yet it was a pain to brush and untangle. I snaked a hair-tie off my dressing table and slipped it around my fingers, flexing my hand to stretch it. I tied it securely around my mass of light locks and swished my head from side to side, my smile growing.

I really couldn't wait to get to Thomas' house and have dinner with his family. So, I made haste and darted to my wardrobe, fishing through the congregation of coat-hangers, shoes and actual clothes. I really should consider sorting through them all and delegating some to being draw-clothes. My tall boy that sat on the other side of my room was rather empty – I had been neglecting it.

I fished out a pink shirt and laid it on my bed. It was short-sleeved and rather low-cut but it was one of my favourites and so it would be worn today. I then located some short, white pants that would stop about mid-thigh length and tossed them onto the bed swiftly.

I slammed my wardrobe doors shut and undressed, slipping the pink shirt on and then the white shorts, tucking the shirt in under the waistband. I then moved back to the mirror to admire my appearance.

I was a tall girl, which was hard to miss. I doubted I would grow any taller, though, this was pretty much it. I was also slim, though I did not judge people by appearance. It could not be denied that I was slender and bony, which might be the result of the amount of exercise I get in. But the shirt and pants I had chosen looked good together, so I was happy.

I snatched Thomas' birthday present off my bedside table and exited my room, snapping the door shut behind me. I had designed this present especially for Thomas and I couldn't wait to get it to him, to see the look on his face when he received it. It would be priceless.

"Jackie?" My Father's voice rang out and he moved from an adjoining room to intercept me at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you going to that party now?"

"Yeah," I smiled at him and snaked an arm up and around his neck, pecking him with my lips on the cheek. "I'll be back later tonight, okay? Love you."

He breathed out something unintelligible before nodding and returning my smile. "Love you too. Just be careful and don't take any stupid risks. I want you back here no later than nine-thirty, alright?"

I nodded, my ponytail bouncing, before I slipped past him and opened the front door. "Alright. See you."

I left quickly, barely hearing his mumbled good-bye. I made towards my bike and righted it, sitting over the seat and fixing my pink helmet on my head. I liked the colour pink... It was vibrant and alive. Having the colour near me was always comforting.

I clicked the helmet buckle into place and stuck my feet on the pedals, steering my bike quickly down the driveway and into the gutter. Once I hit the gravel, I increased my pace and pedalled down the road, making for Thomas' house.

I paid little attention to the myriad of colours that merged and flew past me as I pedalled, only vaguely aware of them in my peripheral vision. The houses around here always looked so neat and organised; it was nothing I hadn't seen before. I was used to the streets in this area and was, more or less, subconsciously taking the route I knew would get me to Thomas' house quicker.

I still felt giddy and a little light-headed, wondering how things were going to happen, anticipating the look on Thomas' face when he got my present, looking forward to seeing Mr and Mrs Mollison, Thomas' Mother and Father. I was a bundle of excitement.

I could not have released a bigger breath of relief as I swerved my bike off the gravel and up Thomas' driveway. I retracted my leg from the other side of my bike and unbuckled my helmet, slipping it over the handlebar. I then made my way quickly to the front door.

I had to resist the urge to start jumping up and down on the threshold as I rapped my knuckles lightly against the screen door, the sound resonating as a result not exactly pleasant. A moment later, Maggie answered.

"Mrs Mollison," I smiled cheerfully. "Is Thomas around?"

"Jackie," Maggie greeted with an identical smile. "Yeah, he's around the back, in the shed."

"Oh," I nodded. "Alright, thanks."

I then turned and moved quickly around the house, heading into the backyard before I could hear any reply that might follow, grinning to myself. I stopped when I saw the shed, able to glimpse Thomas inside.

I watched him for a moment, the sun glistening down into my eyes so I had to squint. I then decided I did not want my hair up... That, and it would be good to hinder the light shining directly into my sapphire orbs. I reached up and pulled out the hair-tie I had applied earlier and slipped it into my pocket, fanning my hair out over my shoulders and around my face to help shield my eyes from the sun.

Taking a deep breath to control my nerves, I started forward, stepping into the shadow of the structure Thomas was in, before entering. "There you are," I said in way of making my presence known.

He turned to me, mouth partially open. He obviously had not been expecting me this soon. I smiled at him and closed the distance between us, taking in his appearance. He was wearing an orange and blue, horizontally striped shirt that seemed to suit him and some casual shorts that matched the blue on his shirt. The outfit worked for him, where it would be a disaster for others. It contrasted well with his sandy-blonde hair.

"I was going to give this to you later, but I couldn't wait," I said, flashing my teeth in yet another smile. "Happy birthday."

I extended the small package I had wrapped myself for him and he accepted it, a slight frown puckering the skin between his eyebrows as he began to unwrap it. I leaned in then and gave him a light kiss on the cheek, only now beginning to sense his dampened mood. No one should wear a dampened spirit on their birthday.

He glanced up at me briefly, his body tense. "Thanks," he mumbled and placed a finger under the sticky tape, flipping it up and slipping the paper from around the cassette tape within.

"I recorded everything especially for you," I said, placing the tip of a slender finger on the cassette tape and smiling to myself. I prayed he would like it.

He placed the paper on the bench beside us and flipped the cassette over, reading the words I had written there. _'Birthday Mix: Songs for and about Thomas.'_ I felt my breath catch in my throat as I awaited some reaction... good or bad.

He stared at it for a long moment, his eyes scanning the words at least three or four times. I decided to give him a slight nudge. "Go on," I said tapping the cassette again with my hand. "Play it."

He exhaled slowly and gave a slight, nearly imperceptible nod. I moved out of the way and he drew close to the cassette player sitting on the bench. It was dusty and looked rather ancient, yet he seemed confident in its ability to play the cassette. He popped the button and placed the cassette inside, snapping it closed again with a finger. My breath was still held.

He hit 'play' on the old machine and immediately some upbeat music flew from the speakers. Then, my voice followed, singing the words to the beat. _"Well you can have my heart and have my soul. Without you, I feel cold... Won't you come with me and I will make you happy and then when I'm alone I'll dream of you till the day is done. Don't you know I will be dying to be by your side..."_

Then the music cut off as I pressed a finger to the 'stop' button. I had been grinning as my out of tune voice had drifted around the small, enclosed area... yet one look at Thomas' face and I felt my stomach swirl and my heart plummet. He was frowning at the cassette player, not smiling or laughing as I was. He did not like it.

That was my first thought. Yet, after what had happened at school the other day with Charlie, his elder brother... after everything, perhaps he just was not in a humorous mood. Still, it hurt. His lack of enthusiasm for my specially made gift hurt.

"Listen," I said to him, disguising my pain. "I know you're upset. Just don't worry what those stupid kids at school think."

He looked at me and cocked his head quickly in a dismissive gesture. "Yeah, well, it's easy for you to say that."

"You have to stop wishing Charlie was normal," I said quietly, after a pause, the words leaving my lips in more of a breath. That was the core, the source of his depression, his foul mood... and he had to deal with it. "He's never going to change."

He opened his mouth, as if to reply, but must have decided against it as he closed it again and gave a slight shake of his head, averting his gaze from mine. He stared at the cassette player for a moment, remaining quiet as I allowed the silence to stretch.

This was not the reaction I had expected to my gift... but Thomas was taking things hard, and he was not dealing. I just hoped the day would improve.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

I thumped the cricket bat into the ground, watching Simon, Thomas' Father, intently. Charlie stood behind me, a catcher's mitt on his hand and Thomas stood casually off to my right, not exactly paying attention to the game. We were in the front yard now and Maggie was spread out on a fold-up chair, flicking through a magazine – getting some sun.

Cricket. It was a traditional Australian game and pastime. We were playing it now, for a bit of fun, before dinner tonight. It was saddening to see Thomas' lack of enthusiasm considering this was his special day.

My attention was focused solely on Simon as he threw the cricket ball up in the air and caught it again. He took a swig from the beer he held in his left hand and inhaled sharply, sucking in his bottom lip as he looked at me.

I lifted a slim arm in response and pointed a finger at him, a smile tugging at my lips as I awaited his bowl. He shook his head as I nodded confidently at him before running forward a few steps, his right arm spinning up in an arc and shooting the ball at me.

I flipped the bat up quickly and hit the ball away, twirling in a circle as I did so. I released a sharp squeal as my legs tangled themselves together and landed hard on the ground. I grinned and rolled into a sitting position as Simon threw his hands in the air.

"How was thaaaaaaaat?" He exploded loudly, causing some neighbourhood dogs to chorus their disapproval. "Come onnnnn!"

I shared a look with Maggie who had rested her magazine flat on her stomach and was arching a slim eyebrow at Simon, listening to the upset canines barking around the neighbourhood. I gave a soft chuckle and looked back at Thomas' Father.

"Bewdyyyyy!" He yelled, his arms still erect.

Maggie shook her head, as if he might be mad, and made a 'lost cause' gesture.

"Oh, come on Maggie!" Simon looked at her. "It was plumb."

"Yes," I laughed, folding my legs under me and raising myself from the ground. I thumped my bat back into the ground as I righted myself, still laughing softly. "Yes! I'll retire when I get my century Mr Mollison, so then you can get a bat."

I moved back in front of the wicket as Thomas, who had gone to fetch the ball, tossed it back to Simon, his face unreadable. Mr Mollison caught it one-handed and pointed at Thomas. "You'll keep."

I grinned at the two males and thumped my bat again, eager for the game to continue.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

I forked a juicy piece of meat onto the end of my fork and grinned ruefully at it; shoving it into my mouth and feeling the sensations wash through my taste buds. "This is so yum, Mrs Mollison."

I had to say something, to show Maggie I appreciated this. The food really was delicious and Thomas and Charlie probably took their Mother for granted. She would be thankful for the compliment and I hoped to lighten the slightly tense mood.

"I can't remember the last time I had a roast," I continued with a smile for Maggie.

"Oh, really?" Maggie paused in her eating to look up at me. "Oh. We have a roast once a fortnight. Simon just loves his roast vegies, don't you, darl?"

"Mmm," Simon nodded his agreement, his mouth too full to release a more coherent noise.

I grinned lightly and cut back into my meal. "Yeah, my Dad doesn't really cook. And we eat at different times, so it's just takeaway, really."

"Well, you're welcome over here for dinner any time," Maggie said to me seriously, nodding in my direction as I looked up at her again.

"Just as long as you do the dishes," Simon joked, laughing after the statement had left his lips. He had now finished his mouthful of food, ready to lurch back into the conversation.

I chuckled quietly and grinned at Simon, not missing the look that Maggie sent him, one that might be used to try and control, reign in Mr Mollison. On seeing it, my chuckles only grew.

Simon continued eating, though I saw the amusement shining in his eyes and he was still smiling. I went back to my meal and looked up briefly at Thomas, though he was silent... still just eating.

I opened my mouth to say something to him but before I could, Charlie, sitting on my left, moved his plate towards me. "Duh! Duh!"

"What is it, sweetie?" Maggie reached a hand across the table towards her eldest son. "Here, pass it to Mummy."

"Oh," I piped in before Charlie could hand the plate to his Mother. "I can do it."

"You sure?" Maggie slowly retracted her hand, watching me.

"Yeah," I assured and grabbed Charlie's corn holder. I wanted to help Maggie, try and make things easier for her, and I wanted to help Charlie... I have known these people so little a time and I already feel attached to them. I wanted to help.

I grabbed Charlie's piece of corn and forced the spiked edge of the corn holder into it, smiling to Charlie and proffering it to him once I was done.

"You're being very good," Maggie praised the autistic boy from across the table, leaning in close and sending him a serious look, hoping he would get the message clearly.

"He'll do anything for a pretty girl," Simon said humorously and reached a hand up to Charlie's head, ruffling his hair lightly. "Won't you, mate?"

"Duh!" Charlie chuckled, pressing his hands together and baring his teeth at me in a sort of grin.

I chuckled, appreciating the humour – Thomas was still so tense beside me – and returned the grin to Charlie as Maggie spoke again, sending Simon yet another stern look.

"What do you say?" She asked Charlie calmly, yet in a firm tone.

Charlie tapped his chin with his hand in response, making a hand signal I did not recognise, having never studied sign language.

"That's right," Maggie praised, returning the gesture which was entirely foreign to me. "Good boy."

I smiled back at Charlie, watching him return to his eating. I could only make an educated guess that that had been sign language for 'thank you' or something along those lines, and I was grateful for the appreciation. Again, I found myself respecting Thomas and his parents for living with Charlie – it certainly could not be easy.

"Do you think Charlie will ever talk again?" I asked Maggie, tilting my head back towards her.

"Yes," Thomas' monosyllabic answer beside me caught me off guard and my eyes flickered to him. It was his first word of that night apart from his mumbled 'thanks' as Maggie had dropped the plate of food in front of him.

Simon and Maggie looked at their son briefly, Thomas glancing from one to the other, his brow furrowed by a slight frown. "Well," Maggie said after a pause, "probably not, actually."

She chewed her food and swallowed it before continuing, looking at Charlie. "I mean, we hoped he might have when he hit adolescence. But... unfortunately, he didn't. You get your point across, don't you, sweetie?" She then altered the end of her sentence so it was not directed at me, but at Charlie.

Charlie dropped his corn and tapped the left side of his jaw, releasing an unintelligible noise before lifting both arms into the air, looking much like a wrestler who had just won a match. I looked at him briefly, before being surprised again as Thomas released another rare sentence.

"Yeah, well, maybe if we stopped signing, he'd start talking, Mum," he said a little heatedly. I was surprised by the stiffness of his voice.

Maggie met Thomas' gaze, disguising the surprise she, too, felt. "I think that's unlikely, Thomas," she replied evenly.

There was a minimal pause before Sophie, the Mollison's new addition to the family, gurgled happily in her crib beside Maggie, releasing a string of incoherent noises. Maggie turned to her and placed her arms around the infant's fragile body, easing her from the crib. "Are you hungry too? Aww."

"She's so tiny," I said, my lips twisting into another smile as I watched Maggie cradle the impossibly small Homosapien to her chest. Sophie was adorable.

"Yeah," Maggie snorted. "She didn't feel so tiny coming out." She unbuttoned the first two buttons of her deep-pink shirt, missing Simon's glance. "You know, I wasn't much older than you when I had Charlie."

I glanced at Charlie briefly, trying to imagine what it would be like to have a child now. I still felt so young, so... free. To have a child now would be very hard, especially if he had autism. I found a whole new sense of awe swirling in my gut for Maggie – she was strong.

"Mum!" Thomas barked in horror and my gaze snapped back to Maggie who now had a few more buttons on her shirt unclamped and Sophie eased towards her now uncovered breast, feeding her.

"Well, she's hungry," Maggie said innocently, giving Thomas a look that told him to suggest some alternative. "I fed you this way," she continued after a pause. "You _loved_ it... couldn't get enough."

I looked back at Thomas and he had stopped eating, releasing a few heavy breaths he looked at Maggie, his cheeks infusing with a very light cerise that I thought suited him. "Please, Mum..."

Maggie chuckled lightly and returned her attention to Sophie who was feeding contently. Charlie released a murmur beside me and rubbed the palm of his hand, his teeth bared again as he fought to comprehend what little of the conversation he could. I felt pity swell in my gut for him... it was so obviously difficult for the poor boy. His life would never get easier.

He began chuckling and I smiled briefly at him, forking some more vegetables into my mouth and chewing slowly.

From then, the conversation did not really go anywhere; Thomas remained perfectly silent once more as Maggie finished feeding Sophie and placed her back in the crib. Simon was the first to finish and stood, carrying his plate to the sink. On his return, Charlie and I had finished, so he offered to make another trip to the kitchen sink.

"Why, thank you, Mr Mollison," I said lightly and he grinned, moving the two plates around into the kitchen.

After Maggie and Thomas had finished – the latter more picking at his food than actually eating it – Simon smiled around at them all. "Are we ready for the cake, now?"

Maggie nodded emphatically and stood. She disappeared around the kitchen bench and returned a few moments later with a square, blue cake she had retrieved from the fridge. The edges were dotted with an assortment of coloured smarties, candles protruding from the centre.

I grinned as she placed it down on the table in front of Thomas and joined the family in a traditional song. "For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow! ... And so say all of us!"

I was taken aback by the fact that Thomas was actually grinning as he looked down at his cake. He crossed his arms and rested his elbows on the table, features alight. I missed his smile.

"No, Charlie!" Maggie said sharply as said boy tried to lean forward and blow out the candles on Thomas' cake. "You wait for Thomas, and then we'll light them again. Go Tommy."

Thomas bent forward to blow them out, yet, Charlie did not heed Maggie's warning and bent forward again, blowing a raspberry at Thomas' cake, some of the candles flickering out of existence.

Maggie sighed exasperatedly as Thomas straightened. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said quickly. "Charlie, come here to Mummy. I said wait." She lifted a hand and beckoned to her son to join her.

I sat back as Charlie stood and moved around the table to Mrs Mollison, Simon pulling another match out and flicking it down the strip on the side of the box, orange sparks springing into life.

"Just hold on, Tommy," Mr Mollison said. "I've got that. Just wait. Wait, mate."

"No," Maggie cupped a hand over Charlie's mouth to prevent him from blowing out the candles again, switching her gaze back to Simon as he placed the aflame match-head over the candles.

"Okay. Almost there. Okay," Simon breathed before shaking the match to kill the flame, the candles now alight once more.

One look at Thomas' face told me he was not happy about this... he seemed exasperated, fed-up. I just hoped that after he had some cake, his mood would improve. His tenseness was suffocating me.

"Righto," Simon said, lifting the camera which sat on the table in front of him. "One for the camera."

Thomas leant forward again, his lips pursed as he blew air out over the candles, the flames flickering and dying quickly. There was the snap and flash of light as the picture was taken and I grinned at Thomas.

"Hip, hip!" Simon sang.

"Hooray!" Maggie responded enthusiastically and began applauding, causing Charlie to do the same.

"Hip, hip! Hey!" Simon laughed.

"Hooray!" Maggie continued clapping. "Whoo-hoo!"

I did not join in with the applause. Instead, I leaned in and pressed my lips gently to Thomas' cheek, pecking him.

"Duh!" Charlie burst out into chuckles. "Huh!" He ran back around the table and took his former seat as Maggie and Simon shared a laugh.

I grinned and pressed my lips to Charlie's cheek, kissing him lightly too. Simon laughed loudly and waved a finger at me. "How about one of those over here?" He chuckled lightly.

"Simon, leave the poor girl alone," Maggie muttered, dislodging the candles from the icing of the cake.

"Yeah, yeah," Mr Mollison waved a hand in a dismissive gesture and stood. "Tommy, now, I know we've already given you your gift, but I reckon you might like this one." He grabbed a small, flat package and handed it over to Thomas as he reclaimed his seat.

"Oh," Thomas said as he took it. "What could this be?"

I glanced at Simon and Maggie who were both seated forward, watching Thomas with anticipation. From the tone of Thomas' voice, I guessed he already had some clue as to what resided within the incredibly flat, wrapped parcel.

"Oh!" I said, my eyes widening as Thomas removed the wrapping paper, revealing the yellow 'L' Plate inside. He was now sixteen and had his Learner's... this would be a dear gift to him.

Thomas laughed softly, a musical sound to my ears and held up the 'L' Plate, holding it in front of himself as Simon snapped another photo on the camera. "Yeah," Mr Mollison grinned.

"You're officially allowed on the road now," Maggie said and touched Thomas' arm lightly.

"Rex reckons if I can teach your mother to drive, I can teach anyone," Simon laughed. I had no idea who 'Rex' was, so I was a little lost, yet the others seemed to know what he was talking about and Maggie swatted him playfully.

"Hey," she warned, though her tone held only amusement. "Alright, who wants some cake?"

"Yes, please," I said as Thomas nodded, Simon murmuring the affirmative.

"It's Thomas' favourite, isn't it, sweetie?" She stood and placed a hand on the side of Thomas' neck, leaning close and shaking his head affectionately.

"It is, Mama," Thomas mumbled, grinning.

"Yeah," she answered, looking at my eager face briefly. "Alright. Well, I'll get the ice-cream. Simon, you start cutting the cake."

"Yep, alright," Simon nodded and leaned across the table, picking the cake up as Maggie made her way towards the fridge. "Four tiny, little pieces for the family and one big piece for me."

I followed Maggie's movements as she cracked the freezer door open and pulled out a tub of ice-cream... though something else then caught my attention. My eyes flickered briefly to Charlie as I heard an unfamiliar noise. It was slightly... squishy. My eyes went round when I saw Charlie's hand inside his trousers, under the waistband, and moving methodically in a single rhythm. He was masturbating.

"Oh, my god," I gasped out, mortified. I stood quickly, my chair scraping back along the floor, and turned away from the scene, clenching my lips firmly together as I fought to reign my senses into check.

I heard Charlie's laugh behind me and then Simon's voice. "Char... Char... Shit!"

"Oh!" Maggie exclaimed. "Come on, Charlie. You know that's private. You do that in your bedroom," her voice was angry, yet I still did not turn around, resting my forehead against the wall and exhaling shakily.

"Put your dick back in your shorts, mate," Simon said in a clipped tone, also sounding angry. "Bad, Charlie. Bad! No, bad. Don't laugh."

I heard Charlie continue to laugh, obviously not understanding that what he had been doing was extremely inappropriate. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to clear it as Charlie's chuckles rose.

"I'm so sorry, Jackie," Maggie said to me but I did not turn to face her. I had just witnessed something incredibly private... something I thought I would never have to witness. I placed a hand beside my head, leaning against the wall heavily.

"How many times do we have to tell you that?" Simon was barking at Charlie behind me. "You say sorry to Jackie and go and wash your hands, alright, mate?"

There was a loud 'thump' behind me and I jumped slightly, frowning. I tilted my head just enough so I could see Thomas stand abruptly and march into the lounge room. He bent and grabbed a game console, extending his arms above his head, holding the electronic device in the air threateningly.

His chest was heaving, his face scrunched up in a mask of rage. He was visibly seething, his nostrils flaring with each breath. I had never seen him look so terrifying before. I looked at him, still pressing my body against the wall, and sent him a pleading look – begging him not to go through with whatever he was planning. All the stress of the past few days had gotten to him... and he was snapping. Right before my eyes.

"Thomas, don't be ridiculous," Maggie straightened from picking the cake up from the floor. It was mashed and indiscernible now, having been knocked flying in all the commotion.

"You put that down right now," Simon commanded, extending a finger towards Thomas. "Thomas..."

It was too late. Thomas thrust his arms downwards and sent the game console colliding with the arm of the couch. It shattered, pieces flying in various directions and scattering across the room. I heard Charlie exclaim, obviously having valued the device, before he stampeded past his Mother and Father, straight for Thomas.

"Charlie!" Maggie tried in vain to halt him, extending her arms for his shirt yet he pulled away from her easily and grabbed a standing lamp beside the television, lifting it into the air and bringing it down on Thomas' head.

My eyes went round as I heard the bulb shatter on impact with Thomas' temple. "Charlie!" Simon yelled, trying to control the situation as Charlie then leapt on Thomas, tackling him onto the couch.

"Charlie! Charlie!" Simon continued, moving forward.

"Boys, stop it!" Maggie shouted. They both looked as horrified as I felt right then.

"Charlie, get out of it!" Simon wrapped his arms around Charlie's waist and tried to reef him backwards, Maggie just behind him.

"Stop it!" She cried almost desperately. "Charlie, you get off him!"

"Stop it! Leave it! Charlie!" Simon tugged at his son again, trying to get him off of Thomas. My vision was slightly obscured from this angle but Maggie moved a step to the left and I glimpsed Charlie sinking his teeth into Thomas' shoulder.

I winced violently with the strangled scream that escaped Thomas' throat. "Oh, my god!" He cried, his voice slightly muffled by the body atop him.

I whipped away an irritation on my left cheek, only then realising that it was a tear. I was trembling, too, my entire body shaking from head to toe. I was terrified and yet engrossed by the display before me... unable to look away. I felt the animalistic urge to turn and flee, escape... but I was frozen in place, rooted to the spot.

"Charlie!" Simon grunted. "Let go!"

"Charlie, oh!" Thomas writhed under his older brother, his voice choked with pain as Charlie bit into him hard, drawing blood and pressing Thomas firmly against the couch.

"Charlie! Just let go, that's enough!" Simon snapped, finally managing to untangle them from each other and pull Charlie backwards. Thomas released a weak groan as the weight was lifted from him, his head lolling to the side to inspect his shoulder.

Maggie's eyes were as wide as mine. Her sons, her boys, were fighting... I could not imagine how she was feeling right now. Perhaps as terrified as me. She wrapped her hands around Charlie's upper arm and helped Simon to pull him back, her face chalk white.

"Charlie! Charlie! Stop it!" Simon commanded sternly, yet the autistic boy ignored him, gathering a globule of saliva in his mouth and launching it suddenly at Thomas who released a noise of disgust and wiped it away with a hand.

"Oh!" Thomas ran a hand through his hair and I could see the stress... the pain... the hurt... everything. "Fuck!" He exploded, squirming into a sitting position.

"Oh!" Maggie released a cry of pain as Charlie's foot connected with her abdomen in the struggle to hold him back. She staggered back a few steps and my eyes widened. It was lucky she was still not pregnant... that would have been hazardous if she had been. Yet, I had never seen anything this violent before in my entire life, save for on a television screen. Things were so much different in real life.

"Fucking spastic!" Thomas screamed at Charlie, vaulting from the couch and lunging at him again.

"Maggie?" Simon gasped as his wife was knocked back, cradling her stomach. He half-released Charlie to check on her, grabbing her shoulder. He then noticed his other son. "Thomas!" He warned loudly.

I watched Thomas grab the front of Charlie shirt and spin him around, forcing him to the ground and sitting atop him, straddling his stomach. "Thomas," I breathed, trying to force my limbs to respond... but they wouldn't. I was frozen with fear.

"Thomas, get off him!" Simon made for the pair quickly, torn between stopping them from murdering one another and helping his wife. "Thomas!" He grabbed his youngest son's shoulder and tried to pull him off of Charlie, yet Thomas pushed him away.

Charlie turned his head and sunk his teeth once more into Thomas' flesh, breaking the skin on his brother's left forearm which was positioned by his head. Thomas released a sharp yell of pain, his features contorting into a grimace as Charlie continued to penetrate the skin, causing the younger boy a great deal of agony.

"Thomas, please!" Maggie pleaded, recovering from the kick she had received.

"Thomas, stop it!" Simon yelled. "Stop it, now!"

"Charlie! Shit!" Maggie exclaimed, catching sight of what was happening.

I wanted to help... to rush forward and knock sense into all of them. But I was still frozen. I managed to get my finger to twitch, yet could still only stand helpless and watch the fight before me. I could never have pictured Thomas looking so vicious... this entire thing was just _wrong_.

Simon grabbed Thomas around the stomach and reefed him from Charlie, the autistic boy's jaws leaving contact with his flesh. There was a grunt of pain from Mr Mollison as Thomas threw his head back and slammed the back of his skull into his nose, knocking him back.

"Oh! Thomas!" Maggie gasped in mortification as Thomas lunged back down at Charlie as soon as he was released, slamming his fist forcefully into Charlie's jaw.

"Thomas, don't you dare hit your brother!" Maggie's voice was frantic, panicked now as she grabbed Thomas' arm, trying to still it as he continued punching Charlie, pounding his fist into his brother's face.

"I hate him!" Thomas wailed, his voice strangled by pain and sudden tears. "I hate him!"

"Stop it! Stop it, Thomas!" Maggie both begged and commanded as Thomas hit Charlie again, breaking free from her grasp for a moment.

"I hate him!" Thomas yelled again as Simon picked himself up from the ground.

"Thomas!" Mr Mollison surged forward, trying to help his wife who was now practically sitting on Thomas, trying to pin him so he was immobile. "Maggie...!"

"I hate him," Thomas repeated, the silver droplets of silver escaping his eyes, beginning to carve wet trails down his cheeks.

"Don't you hit him!" Maggie screamed, her voice breaking as she fought to restrain her insistent son.

"Maggie, let me!" Simon grabbed her waist and tried to pull her from Thomas, not wanting anymore harm to befall her. This was too dangerous.

I felt utterly useless and hopeless as I stood here, unable to so much as utter another syllable. I was so frightened, so terrified that I couldn't even recall how to make noises, sounds... Everything was just spinning around, out of control. It was almost dreamlike, unreal.

"Don't you hit your brother!" Maggie continued, not relinquishing her hold on Thomas. "No!"

"I hate him!" Thomas screamed back at her, pulling his arm from her grip again and slamming it back into Charlie's cheek, snapping his head to the side. His arm was up in the air again and crashing back into his brother's face a second later, without a pause.

"Maggie, please!" Simon was succeeding in his task of pulling Maggie from Thomas, trying to get her out of harm's way.

Thomas hit Charlie again... and again... and again. It seemed to almost be in slow motion. Simon pulled Maggie free from the scuffle and pushed her away, lunging forward and making a snatch for Thomas' repeatedly moving fist. "Thomas!" He cried. "Stop that!"

"I...!" Thomas went to scream something but his father wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pinning his arms by his sides and cutting him off.

"Get up!" Mr Mollison barked furiously. There was just so much noise... my head was spinning and pounding continuously.

"Get off him!" Maggie was back in the picture, grabbing Simon's arm and trying to help pull Thomas away.

"Just... sit down!" Simon shouted at Thomas, thrusting him onto the couch harshly. "That is enough!" He grabbed the crying boy's shoulders and pulled him forward, slamming him back against the couch again in an attempt to literally shake some sense into him.

"Charlie? Charlie?" Maggie gasped and stooped beside her eldest son, her voice hitched with worry. "Charlie, are you okay? Honey, up you get. It's okay. It's okay."

Charlie stood, several cuts on his face from where Thomas' fist had broken the skin – some of them deep. He groaned shakily and wiped a hand across his cheek, trembling almost as badly as I was. "Look at Mummy," Maggie said gently. "Look at Mummy. Let Mummy have a look at you."

Charlie pushed past her and surged towards me. I took a step back, shocked when my limbs responded, my eyes going even wider. However, Charlie was not headed for me. He stopped about a metre away and sprawled out on the ground as he began frantically bashing his forehead into the linoleum.

"No, no!" Maggie said desperately, straight after him. "No, no, no, no!" She landed atop him and snaked an arm around his head, her right forearm now providing a barrier between Charlie's head and the hard floor. "Charlie, no, no, no, no, no!"

Simon was pressing on Thomas, forcing him to remain seated. "Settle, settle," he hissed, trying to calm the sixteen year-old. He heard Charlie groan and his gaze flickered towards the kitchen. He pulled back from Thomas and moved up behind Maggie, pressing down on Charlie's legs in an attempt to help calm Charlie down. "Settle down, mate."

"Settle, shh!" Maggie was saying loudly and as calmly as she could, still preventing Charlie from inflicting pain upon himself using the floor.

I felt my eyes moisten and tears prick as Sophie began squealing and crying in her crib, the baby upset by the loud noises and overall emotion in the atmosphere.

"Shh-shh-shh! Shh, sweetie," Maggie whispered by Charlie's ear, his head movements beginning to slow. "Sweetie, shh-shh-shh. Mummy's here. Mummy's here. Shh. Shh. Shh. Mummy's here. Mummy's here. It's okay; nothing is going to hurt you."

Thomas stood slowly, staring down at his Mother, Father and Charlie. Simon stood and turned to face him, panting due to exertion. He wiped a hand across his nose, a sticky crimson staining the back of his hand when he pulled it away.

I could hear my shallow breaths, my mouth partially open as I stared at Thomas. The fear was evident in my eyes, shining there like a beacon. He looked at me, distraught, and I averted my gaze – unable to even look at him after what I had just witnessed. My heart was pounding against my rib cage with enough force to rattle every bone in my body. Terror was still washing through my mind and my pulse quickened further. I was certain it would have been visible in my neck, straining against the skin.

I lowered my head from Thomas' gaze. Charlie had stopped struggling now, Maggie finally calming him... things were over... and yet, I was still scared. A sob escaped my throat, it was only quiet, yet Thomas wore a hurt look at the noise. I hung my head, refusing to look at him again as tears spilled down my cheeks, flowing down my flesh in rivulets of silver.

I didn't know what to do. I was lost for what to say. The only thing I was capable of doing right now was breathing... even that was difficult.

Thomas took a step towards me, hand outstretched, but I shook my head and stepped away. I couldn't form any words... not a goodbye, not a thank you for the dinner... nothing. I felt numb. Numb and cold.

There was only thing I could do. I could follow my instincts, like I should have earlier – than I could have missed this gruesome display involving the young man I believed myself to love.

And so I ran.

* * *

**A/N: All right! And there you have it - thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed it... feel free to drop off a review. If you spotted any mistakes, please let me know... the amount of times I have proofread this is amazing. I had to as this was an assignment. **

**I wouldn't expect anymore 'The Black Balloon' stories from me - this was only posted as I had to write it. It's a bit out of my genre, if you look at my 'Lord of the Rings' stories. If anyone is looking for updates on the sequel to 'Misplaced Trust' I am posting updates on my profile whenever I can. Thanks.**


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